A Week in the Pocket
by Thomas Linquist
Summary: What is it like being a naked mole rat and riding around in some goofy guy's pocket? Let's take a look from Rufus' point of view. Finally finished.
1. Monday

Kim Possible is the property of Disney.

So, what is it like to be a naked mole rat and live in a goofy kid's pocket? Why don't we check with Rufus and find out for ourselves.

* * *

MONDAY

He opened his eyes, startled from a deep sleep by the screech of the alarm clock on the bedside table. With a dark scowl, he tossed aside the covers and slammed a fist down on the button, silencing the device. The sun might have been up for over an hour, but seven-thirty still seemed like an indecent hour. From the bed came the deep, hearty snores of the most important person in his world.

Rufus leaped from the bedside table and landed on Ron Stoppable's chest. Squeaking into the boy's ear had no more effect than the alarm had. Determined, the naked mole rat walked up his friend's body, right up to his face, and peeled back an eyelid. When this produced nothing more than more snoring, he pinched the nose closed with both of his little hands, forcing the jaw closed with a foot on the chin. That did it, Ron woke with a start, gasping for air.

"What? Who?..." The lad sat up, blinking rapidly. Rufus was forced to let go his hold on the nose and flew to the foot of the bed. Had the foot board not stopped him, he would have tumbled to the floor and gotten lost in the pile of laundry Mrs. Stoppable had told her son to pick up three days ago. It was something of a morning ritual with the pair. If not for his faithful friend, Ron would invariably sleep in and have to double-time it just to get to school. Even rushing, vice-principal Barkin would catch him in the hall after the bell and assign him extra homework. With Rufus to keep him on the straight and narrow, he'd only gotten two tardies so far this term.

Ron picked up his pal and proceeded to the bathroom, and both went about their morning routines. For the human, that meant a shower, combing the blond mop of hair and brushing his teeth. As a teenage boy, there was liberal use of deodorant. The rodent half of the duo spent most of his time brushing his razor sharp teeth. All he required beyond that was a short bath in the vanity sink. Some days he added bubbles as a treat.

Breakfast at the Stoppable house was a hurried affair involving a couple of slices of toast grabbed from the table on the way out of the door. Rufus would have given one of his whiskers for a cheese omelet, but he had a human to wrangle, and there weren't going to be any delays on _his_ watch. On the other hand, Ron would pay come Saturday morning after Temple. There would be waffles on the table or he just _might _let the kid get detention.

November in Middleton was pretty cold that year. It was still a week before Thanksgiving and already there was six inches of snow on the ground. In consideration of his hairless companion, Ron had spent a great deal of time sewing a furry liner for his pants pocket. It was made to fit nicely into every pair of cargo pants he owned, both his everyday outfits and his mission clothes. Rufus was grateful, since he could catch up on a lot of his sleep requirements in a nice cozy nest. Given his very unusual lifestyle, he needed all of the rest he could get.

From his place in a young man's pocket, he could hear the bustle of teenagers all around. Now and then there would be a slight bump, as some kid in a hurry would bump into his ride, not realizing the contents of the pocket, but for the most part, his pet human took care to protect him. Lockers were opened and closed all around him, judging from the noise. Yep, still on time, no detention today! Rufus lay curled up with a satisfied little smile on his face.

Then there was a familiar voice, only slightly muffled by the layers of material. He honestly thought that is was the sweetest voice he'd ever heard in his short life, and it was his second favorite. "Morning Ron.", Kim Possible was saying in a bright tone. "How you feeling today, after all of the running around the last while?" Sharp rodent hearing picked up the note of concern in his friend's tone.

Team Possible had been out on two missions in the last week. First it was Monkey Fist, on yet another quest to gain the mystical monkey power for himself. So far the mutated fool didn't know that the jade monkeys had given the special abilities to three people, not two. There was an advantage to being out of sight most of the time. Just the other day, Darkken had failed at yet another insane plot to take over the world. While the humans had done their usual little dance, Rufus had gotten into the weapon du jour and chewed the main power transfer cables. When the current lair had begun to implode, Kim had picked him up and pushed Ron out ahead of her.

Honestly, that boy didn't realize how lucky he was to have a best friend like the red haired human. He knew she was great maybe, but not how much she really meant to him. But then, she hadn't quite figured out her feelings either. One day his humans would have to be pushed to the next step. Well, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. First, Rufus had to make sure that they both survived to see that day. Between her rushing in where angels fear to tread, and the boy tripping over his own feet, it wan't an easy job. Well, he'd agreed to it when Ron bought him at Smarty Mart.

First class that morning was history. Sometimes, Rufus would listen to the lectures. Humans sure were prone to violence. It seemed like every class revolved around this battle, or that siege. Why couldn't't these creatures learn to follow the example of his species. In nature, mole rats lived by a structured order. Every member of the colony had its place. Fighting was a last resort, not a way to resolve simple conflicts or get what you wanted. Colonies were about cooperation.

Time passed, and finally it was lunch time. The smell of baked cheese woke him from the nap he'd been taking while Ron had been in gym class. Now his nose was going overtime, trying to identify the dish by the aroma. Ravioli, he guessed, and poked his head out of his cloth den. Oh yeah, that was definitely ravioli, a nice conveniently sized food for his tiny hands. "You hungry little buddy?", Ron asked. Stupid question.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh!" The excited mole rat bobbed his head rapidly. His vocabulary in the language of his pets might be limited, but he was starting to make himself understood. Ron almost always got the message. With Kim, he had to speak slower and use a lot of gestures picked up from television and movies. Still, it was progress.

By now most of the staff at Middleton High School had gotten used to what most people called vermin riding around in a student's pocket. Lunch Lady actually liked him. At least there was one being on the property who could appreciate her work, as long as it involved cheese that is. The health inspectors might shut the place down, but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. As far as anyone else was concerned, Rufus was simply an appendage of Ron Stoppable. This suited the little guy just fine.

While Kim and Monique babbled about what was new at Club Banana, and Ron and Felix debated their abilities at Monster Mayhem, Rufus made the rounds of each plate on the table. It was habit to leave a small portion of any cheese dish untouched. This was understood to be the "rodent share of the bounty." Bonnie passed the table and watched with disgust. Only the fear she had of Kim's retribution kept her from insulting him or laughing at his table manners.

The afternoon was quiet in the pocket. His human parent was wrestling with algebra again, and the enhanced intelligence that Rufus had once used to help him was gone. Every now and then, he would poke his head out and shake it with sympathy. He'd been able to solve some of the problems, but didn't dare interfere. Mr. Barkin was substituting again, and _he_ knew where the brains were. The last thing Ron needed was extra homework.

After school, the two teens and their owner went to the Possible residence. It was brain meatloaf night again, and once it was sliced beyond recognition, it was one of the best meals going. Jim and Tim were always quick to sneak some of their veggies to him. So far, Mrs. Dr. P hadn't caught on to them yet, so there was plenty of healthy stuff for strong, sharp teeth to work on. (Neither of the boys could be enticed to eat carrots, and Rufus loved them.)

Up in Kim's loft, he had still another nap. It would take Kim the better part of an hour to tutor Ron in math. Secretly, he thought the blond boy was using it as an excuse to continue spending time with the wonderful girl. If he'd been human...

With his teeth brushed, the little guy got himself ready for bed that night. All of the napping he did in the course of the day never prevented him from sleeping at "lights out" time. Of course, naked mole rats really needed almost twenty hours of sleep each day. Or so it said in the manual that Ron had given Kim when she looked after him once. What a weekend that had been!

Ron tucked his diminutive friend into the small bed, a miniature version of his own, that sat on the night stand. "Good night, little buddy. Are you warm enough?" Rufus nodded wearily. With a click, the room was thrown into darkness, and Monday ended for another week.


	2. Tuesday

Another day from the pocket that is home to our favorite naked mole rat.

Usual ownership disclaimers apply.

A big thank you to my beta for keeping me on track. Continuity is critical.

* * *

**TUESDAY**

Tuesday began with the same chore as the previous day, trying to get Ron Stoppable in gear. At least this time it wasn't necessary to cut of his air supply, a couple of hops on his chest did the job. This left time for a proper breakfast of eggs with the toast. Rufus had been famished by lunch time, with only a little of the rushed meal on Monday morning.

The morning classes were reversed this day, with gym first, followed by history. Rufus decided to watch the class from a seat on the sidelines this time. It was amusing to watch the boys go through the obstacles the teacher had set up. The funniest part, to his way of thinking, was observing them slip and slide while trying to climb the rope at the end. Ron, after a couple of years of chasing around the world with Kim, was actually more adept at dodging and weaving than the others. When it came to climbing the rope, he easily kept up with the best of the class. It still would have been easier if humans came equipped with claws for grip, as he did. When the teenage boys were finished the exercise, the little rodent couldn't help but run it himself. His pet human picked him up at the end and gave him a high five with a single finger. "Boo-yah!", they both cried.

History class was spent napping for the most part, once again in his cozy pocket. As he drifted off, he could hear a presentation about the escape attempts of British prisoners of war in Germany. The last thing he remembered was a bit about attempts to build a glider out of sheets and starch glue. In a pinch, anything, it seemed, could be used as a tool to get a job done. He had used the same ingenuity to escape with Ron and the Oh Boyz from Senor Senior's jail cell, turning a cd player into an electronic laser lock pick. Memories of the mission, a bungled attempt by Ron to play hero, accompanied his drift to sleep.

Lunch that day was not at all cheese related, so Rufus decided to stay in his pocket. He would talk his friend into getting him something from the snack machines later. Why did cafeteria fish sticks have to be so nauseating? The odor filled the room.

Today it was just the three of them at the table. Kim and Ron picked at the mess on their plates, discussing the math homework they had worked on the previous night. "You should have paid a little more attention when Rufus was writing for you a while ago. It would have helped you to memorize the steps for solving those equations.", the girl was saying. She's been a little tweaked at her friend when he didn't tell her the truth from the start.

The good natured teasing would have continued, but there was a very distinctive beeping from somewhere at Kim's feet. She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out the Kimmunicator, thumbing the accept key. "Hi, Wade. What's the sitch?" Napping was out of the question now. When he heard those words, it was time to get to work, keeping an eye on his humans. This was the main reason the naked mole rat needed so much rest, and had such an outrageous appetite. The girl could usually watch out for herself, but keeping the pair of them safe was still a full time job. Team Possible _could_ do anything, with the right amount of supervision.

"There's been a fresh hit on the site, flagged urgent, guys." Rufus climbed out of his nest onto the table. He hopped over Kim's arm so that he could see the boy on the screen. "One of my contacts at NASA's jet propulsion labs called. They had a break in last night, and the plans for a miniature rocket engine were stolen." Well, at least there wasn't any international flights involved. If God had intended for mole rats to fly, he wouldn't have bothered creating flying squirrels. Well, at least Ron kept a locker full of "mission snackage" for just such an occasion.

The lunch trays were dumped (Thank heavens, that fish was truly gross.) and it was off to the main office. Ever since starting these missions, both of the teens had arranged to get permission to be away from school, on the condition that all assignments were caught up with upon their return. Barkin could be reasoned with, particularly when national security was at risk. Some of the teachers got a little miffed, but you couldn't argue with Kim and Ron's track record for saving the world. While waiting for the ride Wade had arranged, the humans changed into mission outfits.

Rufus had his own pre-mission routine, he always went through both backpacks, making sure that the gear most likely to be needed was close at hand. For starters, this situation called for scanning gear. At some point, Kim would reach blindly into her pack and come up with exactly the right device. It hadn't occurred to her to question how that happened. Training humans was a matter of consistency and repetition. If things were always in the same place, finding it was second nature. How Ron managed to find his socks in the morning was one of the great unsolved mysteries. The room was as chaotic as its human occupant.

Ron switched the pocket liner from his regular pants to his mission clothes. It might be warm at the JPL labs, but who knew what the trip would be like. For the most part, the boy was very conscious of his friend's comfort, always being careful how he sat down, so as not to squash him. Even when falling in a fight, he would try to go down on his left side. The uneven bruising was rather odd to look at afterward. In return, Rufus always tried to climb to the right shoulder, fair was fair.

Today's ride was a harrier jump jet. Both of the teens managed to squeeze into the modified cockpit. There is only so much room in a combat fighter, no matter what you do to it. When they had strapped themselves in, everyone put on a helmet, even a tiny one for the smallest member of Team Possible. The engine roared as the jet took off, blowing debris around the football field it had landed on. Students and staff were so used to odd transportation coming and going, that the only ones to bother looking were the envious gearheads, to whom speed was life. "Let's see a flying squirrel do four hundred miles an hour!", Rufus thought to himself smugly.

When the jet landed in the parking lot, everyone was ready for a little stretch. Kim went through some of the exercises she used to warm up for cheer squad. Ron simply reached out and bent down to grab his ankles, being pretty flexible. Probably all of that time spent dodging death rays and the like. Rufus ran a few circles around the lot, keeping an eye on the ground he was covering. With luck, there might be evidence he could lead his friends to. Every now and then, they caught a break. Of course, not every criminal was as stupid as Drakken or Duff Killigan. An exploding golf ball or plasma burns were pretty obvious.

All he got for his effort this time was an oil stain. Nothing that could really be called a clue without something else to put it into context. Oh well, that was really Kim's department anyway.

A man in a messy lab coat walked briskly from the largest building, headed straight for the trio. By the looks of things, he was ready to start tearing his hair out by the roots, which wouldn't have been good, since it was thin enough to begin with. "Thank goodness you're here! I'm Dr. Anthony Jansen, head developer of Project Megahorse." He offered a hand to Kim and Ron in turn. Not seeing the little guy at their feet, he entirely missed his presence. This bothered Rufus sometimes, people acting as if he weren't even present, but humans usually dismissed what they didn't understand. Besides, this way he could get close to activity without setting off alarms, quite handy in this line of work.

Dr. Jansen took them into the labs, explaining the nature of the project as they walked. "Megahorse is a huge revolution in propulsion. Using small amounts of fuel, it burns it at almost ninety-six percent efficiency. An engine the size of your pack could move a family sedan at a hundred miles an hour. Consider that kind of power in the wrong hands!" The little man rubbed his hands together nervously. He toook them to a door that was crossed with standard police tape. A guard stepped aside and pulled up the yellow ribbon for them.

"Whoa! You guys definitely need to hire a new janitor!" Ron looked around at the mess. Pieces of equipment were strewn about the room, as if a tornado had gone through. Rufus looked at the papers scattered around on the floor while the others asked the usual questions. What was missing? What was on the security tapes? Things like that.

Under one pile of papers was the clue that he'd been looking for. A tire tread, indoors? Keen rodent smell picked up the scent of motor oil. There was the connection to the parking lot. Pulling at Kim's pant leg, he pointed vigorously at the mark, squeaking his little head off. She stopped questioning Dr. Jansen right away, knowing what this behaviour meant.

"Motorcycle tracks! Good scouting, Rufus. Grande size nachos for you." She absently reached into her pack and picked up the miniature analyzer that Wade had built for her. As if by magic, the device was in her hand. She took a sample from the tread pattern and set the unit to work. It was motor oil, all right, but not anything available on the market. Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator.

"Wade, I'm sending you a data sample. We have a trail if you can get us the source." She linked the two electronic marvels, and the boy on the other end looked at a printout being spit out on his left.

"This is a tough one, Kim. Do you have any other leads to follow while I work on this?" Already fingers were flying over the keyboard. If anyone could come up with the answers, it was Wade Load, university graduate at age twelve.

"The tracks in here say it all, buddy." Ron leaned over her shoulder to look at the screen. Without thinking, he rubbed his cheek against the long red hair. "Motor Ed was here. He might as well have left a note on what's left of the door." He turned Kim's hand so that the genius at the other end could see the supposedly secure door hanging by one hinge.

"Okay guys, you might as well come home until we can get a clue as to where he went. I think the trace evidence you've sent ought to provide that, but it's gonna take time." Without another word, the signal was broken. Wade's mother was going to have three kinds of a fit when he stayed up into the wee hours of the morning solving this problem.

By the time the trio got back to Middleton, this time by commercial air transport, they were exhausted. Still, there was homework to be done. At eleven o'clock, Kim and Ron decided to call it a night. He picked Rufus up off of the kitchen table, where he had been making himself useful, turning pages and sharpening pencils. (With his teeth, no less.) The pair trudged back to the Stoppable house, and quietly made for the bedroom. The little mole rat was quick about brushing his teeth and crawled under his covers.

Before turning off the light, Ron leaned back with his arms on the pillows behind his head. "You know something, Rufus? These missions are really starting to wear me out. If it weren't for Kim, I don't think I could keep it up." Rufus looked at his friend, with a knowing look on his face. "I think I'd do anything for her, buddy. Anything for..." The words faded into a deep breath.

Yep, he was starting to see. Rufus smiled to himself as he reached over and hit the switch on the lamp.


	3. Wednesday

A shout out to all of the naked mole rat fans out there. Our week continues, and Rufus is gonna get one heck of a workout.

Thanks to Disney are in order here. They gave the green light to a series that is truly inspiring to me as a writer in this forum. I do not grudge them the ownership anymore. Now if I could just get the Naked Mole Rap out of my freakin' head!

Further thanks to all who have reviewed my work to this point. Feedback is necessary to keep things going. Let me know if I slip up somewhere.

* * *

**WEDNESDAY**

Rufus awoke to the pleasant aroma of pancakes and melted butter. He poked his nose farther out from under the blankets that had somehow gotten pulled up over his head. That's when the temperature hit him. A shiver went down his spine. What he'd give for just a _little_ fur! Pancakes or warm bed? Not an easy choice, until the scent wafted up to the bedroom once more. Breakfast!

Ron had been up for some time, by the smell of things in the kitchen. Rufus looked at the clock above the dinette set. Seven o'clock. He scrubbed at his eyes and looked around the room, seeing his friend at the stove, flipping pancakes with ease. How could he be so agile and controlled in the kitchen, and still trip and fumble sneaking around villains' lairs? Maybe if he could have a cook off with Drakken for the fate of the planet, Kim would never have to fight Shego again. "Chez Ron" had certainly done a booming business, until the health inspector shut them down.

Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable walked in behind their son's pet, equally amazed at the early hour and the boy at the stove. Eugene looked at Jean, then at Ron, then the clock that Rufus had checked.

"Morning Mom, Dad." Two more golden cakes joined the stack on the platter. "The coffee is ready, and the food will be on the table in a second." Ron bustled about, putting dishes in the dishwasher and cleaning up what little mess there was. He might let his room go until a bulldozer was required to clean it, but the kitchen was _always_ spotless after one of these cooking binges. Jean couldn't recall the last time she'd had to touch the counters.

"What has you up so early, Ronnie?", Mrs. Stoppable asked, pouring a tiny cup of coffee for Rufus. Somewhere along the line it had become normal for a rodent to sit at the table with the rest of the family.

"I don't know.", Ron replied a little sheepishly. "All I know is, I woke up feeling really good just after dawn. I'd been having a dream, but I lost it." He sat down and grabbed five pancakes with the tongs, drowning them in syrup. Rather than attack his food, he ate with a certain amount of distraction.

Rufus ate with gusto, sipping occasionally at his coffee. He had a good idea what the teenager had been dreaming about, having heard him in the dark of the night. The name "Kim" had been mumbled over and over, followed by sighs and contented smiles. Looking over at his freind, he knew that it would all come to a head soon, if only the girl could be brought to her senses.

Kim Possible had only recently broken up with Josh Mankey, and hadn't even considered a fresh relationship yet. With her schedule, and missions, guys just couldn't keep up with her. Only one. How to make her see?

It was bitterly cold out, and Rufus was grateful for his warm nest next to Ron's thigh. One of the blankets from his bed had been dropped in after a look at the thermometer. Ron was bundled up and wrapped in a long scarf his grandmother had knitted for him. It was a cold boy who walked into the Possible kitchen. Whenever he was up early, Ron would always stop in to wait for Kim. The door was always unlocked for him, one of those unquestioned traditions.

It was a well frosted mole rat that arrived at Middleton High School that morning. He spent a good half hour on the heater, thawing out and listening to the days history lesson. Today was the fall of the Nazis and deliverence of the survivors of the holocaust. The pictures from old news reels horrified him, and he was glad once again to have such good people as his friends. _His_ humans fought people that would recreate such horrors given the chance. When they weren't foiling clowns like Duff Killigan, this is.

The day wore on, and still no word about the mission. So Kim and Ron speculated about the possible location of Motor Ed and the stolen plans. There was no point in hounding Wade. Genius he might be, but even he couldn't command a breakthrough. Oh well, there were plenty of other things that had to be done anyway. Wednesday was one of the two days each week that cheer squad met for practice. Rufus took a seat in the stands in the gym and watched as the girls went throught the routine Kim had worked out during her last bout with Shego. Tumbling around avoiding blows was as good as choreography, from where she stood. Kung fu for survival made cheer leading seem easy by comparison.

Or it would have been, if not for Bonnie Rockwaller, who constantly missed her cue because of her cell phone. Kim landed on her backside once again when the brunette failed to take her place in the pyramid. This resulted in a spate of name calling and shoulder pokes until Ron, taking off his Middleton Maddog head, got between them. "This is a team, ladies. Why don't we try to act like one? Bonnie, you've gotta pull your weight like everyone else, and Kim, you have to amp down a little. It's not every girl can keep up with you." As much as he was a peace keeper, he knew a remark like that would get Bonnie to pay attention, if just to prove him wrong. Besides, Kim had a tendancy to get a little tightly wound. Rufus watched with concern until the blaze went out of the green eyes.

Ron was putting his costume away when there was a knock at the change room door. Kim burst in. "Ron, Wade is calling. He's gotten us the lead we've been waiting for." She pulled out her Kimmunicator. Ron picked Rufus up from the bench and put him on his shoulder, then all three looked at the image on the screen. A chemical formula was displayed with Wade's voice in the background.

"The sample you sent me is from a top secret military research project. It's a hyper efficient oil, for use in high temperature applications." The display flickered and showed the electronic realm of Team Possible's site manager. "The only reason we didn't hear of it sooner is that the whole theft has been kept quiet for reasons of national security. I had to call in some debts to get this info guys. My contacts have authorized you to know so they can get it back." From his place on the boy's shoulder, Rufus nodded at the screen and motioned as if pulling a zipper across his lips and then saluted. Wade gave him a thumbs up.

"The super oil was stolen from an airbase in New Mexico. I pulled some satelite pictures and found an old junk yard half way between the base and the JPL facilities. There's been some reports of loud explosions in the area, so it's a pretty good bet that's Motor Ed's latest shop." If there was anything Ed liked as much as fast engines, it was big explosions. "Transport is on the way."

Both teens called home to let the families know not to wait up. Rufus rummaged the backpacks while the humans raided the lobby vending machines for a quick supper. Thank goodness for bags of nacho chips, even if it did use up a huge portion of Ron's allowance. The bags were organized and the food eaten when a helicopter landed in the school parking lot.

The trip was spent going over arial photos of the junk yard. Crushed cars had been used to create a maze, with lookout points in several places. Even a night time assualt would be difficult, as spot lights had been placed in key locations. By the looks of things, Motor Ed had gotten somebody with tactical brains to join him in this operation. Kim and Ron decided that the best plan would be to hike in from a distance and try to take out one of the lights quietly, if at all possible. Just how they would pull it off they didn't know.

An hour or so after landing, Team Possible was crawling toward the outer ring of crushed cars, listening for sounds of detection. So far, it was pretty quiet. Every once in a while, a guard in greasy jeans and a leather jacket would walk along boards atop the pile of wrecks, the spot lights giving plenty of visibiltiy.

"Uh, KP, the lights are on the inside of that mess. How are we gonna take one out from here?", Ron whispered. His face was so close to her ear, he could smell her shampoo. Unconciously, he remembered his words of the previous night. "anything for..."

Rufus looked at the barrier that stood in their way, something caught his eye, the way the vehicles were stacked. Reaching into Ron's backpack, he pulled out a pair of binoculars. Looking into one eyepiece, he took a closer look. Light came from between the cars, tiny passages. Squeaking and chattering, he pointed out the gaps to the humans, who took turns looking through the glasses. Rufus pointed to the wall of rusting metal, poked his chest and made slicing motions across his throat.

"Good idea, Rufus", Kim said proudly. "you're small enough to get in unobserved."

"Whoa, KP. Are you sure this is a good plan?" Ron picked up his friend, holding him protectively away from the wall. "I mean, what if he _does_ get spotted? Motor Ed knows about him, and even he can put two and two together."

If the guards had looked across the sand around the make shift fortress, they might have seen a patch of it shifting. In reality, it was a home made camo net, made from a square of cloth with sand glued to one side. Underneath, Rufus was making his way on his mission, like an army ranger operating behind enemy lines. Strapped to his back was a pair of wire cutters. Reaching the wall, he dropped his cover and squeezed between the squashed vehicles, sometimes digging into the loose dirt under them. On the far side, he found the power cord for the light on that corner of the hideout. Following it back, he unplugged it from the generator, throwing a large section into darkness. Returning the way he had come, he cut the cord every ten feet. That would keep the guards busy for a while, until they realized how bad the damage was and got a whole new cord.

Guards ran around with flashlights, but they couldn't cover every spot. Off to one side, in a neglected area, there was the sound of two grappling hooks at the top of the wall. Shortly after, two slight figures appeared, one of them pausing long enough to pull up the pants that had fallen around his ankles. Rufus watched and shook his head. This could only happen to Ron Stoppable, and did so on a regular basis.

With everyone waiting on a large attack, Team Possible found it relatively easy to get to the shop at the heart of the compound. Kim dispatched one of the thugs at the door by shooting a padded grapple at him. Ron simultaneously downed the other with a blinding spray of Bueno Nacho hot sauce and a hubcap to the side of the head. They slipped in through a half open door, Rufus going in first, making a quick sweep for traps at floor level.

In the center of the room was a large truck, with an oversize exhaust. A whine came from under the hood, as the rocket engine built from the stolen plans was fired up. Men in coveralls were swarming around the chrome laden behemoth, making final adjustments. None of them noticed the three of them for few moments, until a man wearing a lab coat and a blond mullet happened to look their way. "Red, you are totally too late, seriously!" He jumped to the running board of his latest mechanical monstrosity. "This design is gonna make me a seriously rich dude. Get them guys, bonus to whoever gets the girl. She still owes me for the bike she wrecked on me."

He ignored the fact that it had actually been his cousin Drew's sidekick, Shego, who had pulled the trigger, destroying his "ride".

Kim ran one way, Ron and Rufus the other. Most of the muscle went for the bonus, which left Ron and Rufus to try and get to the truck. Ducking and dodging the attempts to capture him, Rufus watched Kim fighting off the large men, kicking one in the stomach and into his companions. No matter how often Kim held her own in these situations, Ron and his friend always stayed ready to charge in and watch her back. Many villains had the bite marks of mole rat incissors to show for going too rough with Kim. There was brawling all over the shop now, tools and spare parts being used as projectiles. Slowly, the number of men was dwindling, a fact not lost on Motor Ed.

Climbing into the monstor vehicle, he poured on the fuel and roared out of the door. Kim had ducked, expecting to be incinerated by rocket fire. Instead, it was merely a hot exhaust that quickly dissipated. When Ed crashed through the doors, those men who could followed him. Dragging the injured and unconcious, the teens locked them in a storage gage, after removing the tools. Rufus looked at the blueprints strewn about on the table. When his friends joined him, he pointed to several sets of papers. They were maked with NASA and JPL logos.

"Well, we've got the plans back, but Ed's got a prototype." She pulled out the Kimmunicator. "Wade, I think we've got a bigger problem than we thought. I'm sending photos of some plans, see what you can make of them. And can you get Global Justice in here to clean up the mess and give us a ride home?"

"I'm on it, Kim.", the younger boy replied. "GJ is inbound, they'll try to get something useful out of the prisoners. Dr. Director is personally coming to take care of the site."

It was very late by the time the Global Justice hover jet settled in Kim's driveway. Two weary figures dropped to the ground. Mr. Dr. Possible came out as it left, grabbing Ron before he collapsed. His wife supported their daughter, and they all went into the house. Ron was taken straight to the guest room, where he was carefully stripped of his mission clothes. Rufus was removed from his pocket and put into the large bed. Ron was shoved into a warm shower and barely stayed awake long enough to dry off and flop onto the bed.

Rufus and his best buddy were softly snoring when Mrs. Possible stepped softly into the room. Her husband had reported a large number of bruises on the boy that they considered their own. Kim usually came back from missions tired and sore, but never did she look this abused. How many of those marks did he get looking out for her daughter? She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, and Rufus sat up, looking from her to the sleeping figure.

"He'll be okay, Rufus.", she assured him. "But both of you are going to sleep yourselves out." She unplugged the alarm clock. "If he wakes up, come find me." Mrs. Dr. P left the room and closed the door part way behind her, so that the small guardian could get out as needed.

Listening to the deep breaths next to him, Rufus went to sleep.


	4. Thursday

Thanks again to all who have been reading this stuff. You have all contributed to the quality of my writing. Special thanks to LTAOZFAN, who is a font of knowledge ranging from literature to military jets, assuring me that it is indeed possible that Team Possible could have been provided a ride in a Harrier jump jet.

Thanks to Disney and Nancy Cartwright (voice of Rufus) for the wonderful series and a great world to write for. Disney owns the rights to Kim Possible and company, and is good enough to let us play in that sandbox.

* * *

**THURSDAY**

The late morning sun streamed in through the window and warmed Rufus' little pink face. He luxuriated in the heat for a while, sinking into the soft, deep pillow beneath his head. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the light. When he could see again, he realized that this wasn't his home, or his bed. It took a moment for memory to catch up.

Sitting up, Rufus looked to the other pillow and saw that his friend was still sleeping. Ron's mouth hung open slightly, and gentle snoring issued from it. Seeing the boy at peace, the mole rat decided to treat himself to a long warm bath. Some of the sand was still lodged between his toes, and his sensitive skin felt a little gritty. As he was flossing, (A job he took very seriously.) there were stirrings from the bedroom.

Ron was moving about on the bed. He was moaning, and there was a look of pure fear on his visage. "Kim, hold on!", he called in his sleep. He began to thrash, as if reaching for something just beyond his fingertips. Eventually, Ron calmed, but the look of fear remained, and he was far too pale for Rufus' liking. He jumped from the bed and scampered out of the door.

Mrs. Possible met him in the kitchen. One look at the small form at her feet and she dashed to the guest room. She had stayed at home to be there when the kids woke up. She wanted to talk to Ronald about the injuries she had seen, and from the looks of Rufus, he needed to talk. She knocked quietly on the door before pushing it open. Ron was just sitting up, eyes wide and that look of horror on his face. He collapsed back to the pillows, tremors running through his sparse frame. Rufus pushed past the kind woman and hopped up to the side of the mattress. Anne walked over and sat by Ron, brushing the sweaty yellow hair from his brow.

"It's okay, Ronald. You're safe." She looked down into the young man's deep brown eyes, concerned by the wild fear lurking there. "It was just a dream." He really was a handsome boy, in his own way. There were the beginnings of maturity in the lines of his face. She watched as his breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Kim was surrounded.", Ron said, his eyes focused on something beyond the ceiling. "I tried to get to her, but they kept pulling me away. I couldn't save her." The dread was starting to come back into his voice.

"Ronald, Ron, Kim is safe. She's up in her bed. I promise, she's safe." Anne took the man by the shoulders and pulled him into a deep hug, wanting to thank him for caring so much about her little girl. He's the one, the only one for Kimmie, she thought to herself. She finally let the boy go, giving him one final pat on the back.

It was at that point that Ron realized where he was, and that all he was wearing under the blankets was his boxers. A blush deep enough to hide his freckles rose to his cheeks. Embarrassed, he pulled the covers up as much as he could, with his best friend's mother sitting on them. She simply chuckled a little and stood up. "Don't worry, Ronald. I _am_ a doctor, after all. Your mother brought over some fresh clothes for you, dear." Anne frowned at the bruises on his torso. "Get dressed and come to the kitchen. We'll talk before Kimmie comes down." She closed the door on her way out.

Rufus sat on the vanity as his friend splashed cold water on his face. He handed him soap and a cloth, then the toothpaste and brush from the medicine cabinet. At times like this, Ron relied heavily on the little mole rat. What he had first bought as a pet was now a companion and surrogate brother. He got dressed slowly, replaying that nightmare. Rufus brought him back to reality with a tug on his sleeve. The kind woman with Kim's hair would surely set him to rights.

Ron picked Rufus up and put him into the pocket of his fresh outfit, then went to the kitchen, where Mrs. Possible sat at the table, waiting for him. She got up and poured a cup of coffee for him, setting it on the table next to a heaping plate of food. Before he could sit down, she gave him another quick hug and a shoulder pat. They sat across from each other, sipping from the steaming mugs while the mole rat attacked what was on the plate.

"I know you're a little embarrassed talking about this, Ron." She looked into the eyes that glanced over the rim of the mug. "You have always been there for Kim when she's needed you, even when she started dating Josh." He flinched at the mention of that name. "You've been putting yourself into harms way to protect her. The bruises and scratches prove that. I have to ask, Ronald, do you love her?"

Ron stared into his cup and tried to think of what to say. Rufus left his meal and patted his hand in what was his most sympathetic way. He knew how the young man felt, even if he couldn't admit it to himself. If only he could help his human friend. "I honestly can't say, Mrs. Dr. P. Kim and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember. Her friendship means everything to me." He swallowed the last of his coffee. "All I want is for her to be safe and happy. I don't know if I can make her happy." Ron looked straight at Anne, a solemn vow in his eyes and on his lips. "I _will_ keep her safe, or die trying."

Just then there was a noise from the stairs, out in the hallway. Kim came into the room, dressed and ready to face the day. One would be hard pressed to see that she had been exhausted only nine hours ago. She reached for the coffee pot and slugged back a mug, despite the heat. "Morning, Ron. Wade called with a trace on Ed and his truck. Are you ready to go?"

"Now Kimmie," Anne reproached her daughter. "it was a long hard night the two of you put in. He's in no condition..."

"It's alright, Mrs. Dr. P. Honest." Ron put his mug into the sink. There was no way Kim could be allowed to know about his bruises. Rufus hopped into his pocket, and the boy picked up his coat.

Wade had managed to track Ed and the stolen technology to Go City. The engine and modifications were going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Global Justice was trying to get assets into place, but most were out on other assignments. Rufus had just scowled when he heard that. Will Du and company always left the hard work to Team Possible, then waltzed in to take all of the credit. Sometimes he wished that he had left the arrogant jerk in Duff Killigan's quicksand trap on that first mission. Well, at least they were providing transportation, an unmarked car from their fleet.

"So, what were you and Mom talking about this morning, Ron? You looked pretty intense there."

Rufus listened from his place inside the pocket. He could almost see the boy scrambling for something that wouldn't be a lie, but not the whole truth either.

"Nothing to worry about, KP. She was just worried when we were so late getting back. I told her you would be fine."

Well, it was the truth, the mole rat considered, as far as it went. Maybe if she knew about his promise, she would rethink the nature of the relationship she shared with Ron. If only there was a way he could tell her about the dreams and the conversation at the table. He wished people could understand him better when he spoke.

The drive to Go City went quickly. The time was spent in conference with Wade via the Kimmunicator. He had been checking the underworld communications net and gotten a general time and location for the auction. So Rufus found himself atop a stack of crates in a warehouse on the edge of the city. He had guided the two teen heroes through the dark ventilation ducts. It wasn't unlike navigating the tunnels his relatives in nature built as their home. They looked down at the assembly of criminals and arms dealers crowded around Ed and his creation.

"Like, seriously, this baby is the best. By controlling the rocket ignition with smaller nozzles, a regular engine can get twenty times the horsepower of a standard one. You could move a tank with something the size of a lawnmower motor." The big blond man was strutting around, extremely proud of himself. "Naturally, the process is seriously hot, dudes. It would evaporate any normal oil. The military kindly 'donated' something better." He chuckled to himself, thinking of the theft.

Rufus understood the connection between the two thefts. Without the super oil, the whole thing would seize up and be just a large metal paperweight. He looked over his shoulder at Ron and Kim. While his best friend didn't see the significance, not being gifted in science, the red head saw the advantage. She quickly put a plan together. It would need timing, it would need luck, but most importantly, it would need Ron to keep Ed and the collection of scum looking in the wrong direction.

Ed was getting ready to provide a demonstration of his ultimate monster truck, when he saw a young blond boy trying to sneak around the edge of the warehouse. "Stoppable!", he yelled, and Ron looked as every eye turned on him.

"Oh, snap.", he said, bolting towards the door. It was clear that he wanted out. It was equally clear that he'd never make it. Two large guards slammed the door shut. Ron veered and headed for the nearest stack of boxes, throwing anything he could find in his wake. Every thug in the place was trying to catch up to the boy and beat everything he had seen out of his head.

What they didn't see was Kim lowering herself and Rufus to the floor from an overhead catwalk. They touched down on the roof of the truck, and climbed down to lean over a fender. While the girl was pretty good at mechanics, this was a little beyond her. The mole rat just sniffed about the compartment. In seconds he detected a familiar scent, just like the stain at the JPL buildings. He pointed at a particular line. "Aha, aha!", he squeaked. Kim used her lipstick laser and partially severed the high pressure tube.

Time ran out. Just as Kim and Rufus got to the floor, large arms grabbed them. "Forget the dufus people. This is the better target. Red, you and the freaky rodent are toast. Seriously."

Rufus struggled against the ropes that held him against the exhaust of the vehicle. Ed was just finishing the knots on Kim's bonds. One of his henchmen had hit her with a short club, rendering her unconscious. "When I fire up the truck, Red is gonna be red all over. At least until she starts turning into charcoal." The vermin gathered to watch laughed.

"Forget it you mullet headed moron!" The shout came from the back of the room, where Ron had managed to lose himself among all the boxes and spare parts. Rufus looked in that direction just in time to see a grapple shoot up into the girders. A blond figure dressed in mission grays flew through the air and landed in the middle of the open space, between his friends and the threat. "The first person who tries to hurt Kim is going to be taking meals through a straw." You could have heard a pin drop. Normally, a threat from Ron Stoppable was considered a joke, and would have resulted in gales of laughter. What this group saw in those brown eyes gave even the hardest of them second thoughts. Rufus had never seen such darkness in his human family. He wished that Kim could have been awake to see it.

In twos and threes, they attacked. What they got was the shock of their lives. Punches simply failed to land. Pipes and bats couldn't find the young man in the center of the melee. He jumped into the middle of groups, and blows meant for him found each other instead. It was as if the figure in gray cargo pants and turtleneck shirt could vanish at will. All anyone saw was a blur of boots and gloves. Not one of the criminals got away uninjured. The sound of sirens was ignored in the scramble.

Motor Ed saw the writing on the wall, and made his move to escape. He was swinging up into the cab when the keys were knocked out of his hand. Ron had thrown a discarded pipe to slow him down, and was now tugging at the ropes holding Kim and Rufus. As the last coil fell away, one large man was able to get in a final swing with a baseball bat. It cracked as it hit Ron's arm, breaking the bone in the process. He fell to the floor, just as Kim came to.

Ed had found the keys and was climbing into the truck. Everyone ran to get out of the way. Kim grabbed Ron and heaved, with Rufus just a step behind. There was a build up of heat as the engine started to turn over. All of a sudden there was a plume of dark smoke coming from under the hood. The oil had all drained out of the cut in the line, and the power plant was seized.

Men and women in uniforms poured into the building. At last, Global Justice had gotten their act together. They started cuffing everyone in sight, and medics started treating wounds. Rufus looked up when a pair of black boots stopped in front of him. He followed the uniform up to the face of Dr. Director Betty. She was surveying the injuries on the criminals being led away.

"Well done, Miss Possible, I think we'll be able to close a few files with the work you've done here."

"It wasn't me, Dr. Director. It was Ron." Kim looked a little flustered. "He was in the process of saving Rufus and me when he was hurt." She watched with concern as her partner was carried out on a stretcher.

Rufus rode with his friend in the ambulance to the hospital. Kim had been held back for debriefing, but Ron was going to be spending a couple of hours in the Emergency Ward at Go City General. He sat on the young man's lap as he was getting his arm set, gritting his teeth again the pain. With relief, he spotted Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable as they came through the doors. They made a fuss over both of them the whole drive home.

Rufus was given a huge hunk of cheese while Ron described everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours. At last both were taken to bed and tucked under covers. Jean gave each of them a quick kiss on the forehead. For a while, it was quiet, but then Ron started to talk in his sleep. "First person who tries... meals through a straw." His little guardian watched out the rest of the night. Ron might have Kim's back, but _he_ had Ron's.


	5. Friday

This chapter was a little harder to write. The last one moved too far away from Rufus' point of view, but I didn't know how to get the characters where I needed them within that perspective. I appreciate you all bearing with me in this. I have tried to get back on track, which I hope I did. The hardest part was giving Kim and Ron a glimpse of what they mean to each other, without going too far. They still have months before the Junior Prom.

As usual, I want to thank you for your support in the writing process.

Disney owns what it does. The rest is mine.

**FRIDAY**

The bright winter sun finally climbed over the edge of the window sill. Rufus gave a huge yawn and scrubbed at his face. It had been a long watch, but his human had slept through the night without further incident. His mother had looked in on him once or twice, arranging the quilt over her sleeping little man. Jean always checked on Rufus as well, knowing how important he was to Ron. She was a good woman, if a little overprotective of Ron. Typical mother, he supposed, not being able to remember his own.

Sometimes, he thought of Ron and Kim as his parents, after all, they saw to his needs. Sure, they might be his pets, and he was responsible for them, but he knew he might have been cat food without them. For the most part, his loyalty had been returned in kind. Only once, when Kim had talked Ron into a new hair do, did the boy forget about him. Then Kim had saved Rufus from becoming hallway roadkill. Where one of the teens left off in his care, the other was always ready to pick up the slack.

Ron turned in the bed, and almost lay on his broken right arm. The pain this caused woke him. He gritted his teeth and sat up. For a moment, the blood drained from his face, and the mole rat prepared to run for help. When Ron's color improved, he instead reached to the small cup on the bedside table and offered his friend the painkillers the doctor had prescribed. After chasing them with the water in his glass, he got up and made his way to the bathroom. Rufus was only a step behind, knowing that his assistance was going to be needed. This wasn't the first time Ron had come back from an assignment injured. Usually, however, he had been able to bury the pain and hide the marks on his body. Few suspected the number or times Rufus had seen this young man on the brink of collapse.

It took some work to fit the bulky cast into the sleeve of Ron's largest shirt, but with one tugging the shirt, and the other pushing the cast, it was at length accomplished. From there, dressing was just awkward. Rufus was a little worried about how they would get the shirt off again. In his opinion, it would have been wiser for Ron to stay in bed for a couple of days. With Ed in custody, there wasn't any real need to push a recovery.

"I've got to go to school, Rufus. I've missed almost two days worth of classes already. Barkin is going to wail on me as it is." He refused to see reason, and Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable stopped trying to force the issue. They were proud that their only son was showing such a clear sense of responsibility. The man leaned over Rufus at the table, asking him to help Ron as much as he could without hurting his pride.

Barkin did complain about the number of absent days, but his heart wasn't in it. The plaster cast and gray complexion spoke quite well, even if the news reports had not. As much as the large man might yell and scream, he was proud of Middleton's most famous students. As he watched Ron walk to his first class, Barkin lost his cover and smiled after him. Then he saw another student rushing to get to class. "No running in the hallways mister!"

Rufus was snuggled down into his pocked, trying to catch up on some of the sleep he had lost. Between the mission to capture Motor Ed, and his long vigil the previous night, it was tempting to try hibernation. Even still, he was alert for any sign that his companion might be in need of help. Even taking notes was a problem, since Ron was right handed.

Apparently, news had gotten around about what Team Possible had been up to the last few days. Students kept whispering questions to Ron, and that corner of the room was in a constant buzz. The gear heads were chomping at the bit for news of the stolen engine, with dreams of playing with the technology. The girls had all gotten various stories about his broken arm. Most were aware that it was broken when he was trying to get to Kim. A couple of the young ladies were positively gushing over the whole thing.

From his place in Ron's warm pocket, Rufus listened to all of this. If Kim didn't get her head in the game, she could just possibly miss out to one of these pretty little things. Sure, Ron might not be interested in any of them now, but if it looked like the red head had _no_ interest at all, he might settle for second best. In the mole rat's humble opinion, that just wasn't a real option.

History class that day was about the liberation of the concentration camps of Europe. He sat quietly in his dark pocket, listening to the description of what the allies had found upon opening the gates. These were people of Ron's faith, along with blacks and the mentally ill. This was the reason that he and his friends jumped when the Kimmunicator beeped. True, they didn't face the horror of the Nazis, but small evils allow larger evils to fester. By rooting out the little pockets of chaos, Team Possible made it easier for others to face the bigger issues.

Gym class was out of the question, of course, but Ron put in a quick appearance anyway. He and Rufus sat on the stands and cheered on the boys, giving encouragement to the ones having difficulty and congratulating those that did well. Rufus jumped and whistled when a particularly small boy reached the top of the climbing rope for the first time. He had a soft spot for the underdog, needless to say.

It was double cheese pizza day in the cafeteria. While this was good for the little guy, Ron didn't have much of an appetite. His arm was starting to hurt again, and it was upsetting his stomach a little. He ate slowly, letting his friend have all the cheese covered cardboard Lunch Lady called a crust, that he wanted.

Kim had found him after first period outside their lockers. She had put her arm around his shoulders and asked how he was doing. She went out of her way to help him put up his books, apologizing constantly for getting him into this situation.

"KP, we are a team, if one of us is in trouble, we all are. How many times have you pulled me out of the line of fire? You're just better at it than I am." At that point Rufus had poked his head out of his pocket, nodding and squeaking ferociously.

"But you could have been hurt even more badly. I don't know what I'd do if he'd aimed for your head, Ron." Emerald eyes looked at him intensely, in pain at the very thought.

Now they sat at a table together, and she was teasing him about his lack of appetite. It took a lot to keep the growing boy from shoveling meals back as if it were going to be his last. Kim kept trying to feed him some of her salad, but it was Rufus who accepted olives from her fork instead.

Every now and then, a fellow student or a staff member would stop for a quick visit. They would go on and on about how exciting Kim's life was, and how cool she was. She had to constantly tell them that she was only alive because Ron had put everything on the line for her. Then the kids would ask to sign the plaster cast. Rufus kept a marker at the ready, and soon the injured arm was covered in best wishes. This went on for some time, until a certain group of girls approached the table.

"Oh, what happened to poor little Ronnie?", Bonnie crooned at him. "Did he trip over his own feet again and get a boo-boo?" The other girls in the clutch giggled a little, but thought better of it when Kim jumped up and into a fighting stance. The look on her face just begged them to say something more. All of the times that Bonnie had tried to get under Kim's skin, she had never seen such a swift, and potentially painful, reaction.

Kim's salad had gone flying, and Rufus was hiding behind the overturned bowl. "Uh oh!", he said, and crouched down. He knew just what happened when she got that look on her face. This wasn't going to be pretty, he thought to himself. He could picture the nasty brunette pinned to the wall with green eyes blazing into her face. After fighting with Shego for so long, Kim was quite capable of inflicting serious damage on any lesser being.

Before anyone could make a move, Ron got up from his seat and put his cast between the two girls. "KP, take it easy! There's no point getting suspended because of her." He turned to look at Bonnie, who by this time found herself standing quite alone. "I got this 'boo-boo' doing what had to be done, Bonnie Rockwaller. Try reading a newspaper once in a while. Assuming you _can_ read." While the gathering audience digested that one, he grabbed Rufus and put him into his pocket.

It was from this vantage point that he saw Barkin blocking the exit. Oh, now it was going to hit the fan. There was a strict policy about violence at Middleton High, and Kim had just crossed the line, big time. "Is there a problem here, people?" The crowd disappeared as quickly as it had gathered. "Possible, Stoppable, get lost. Miss Rockwaller and I are going to have a little, conversation." Neither of the teens noticed Rufus climbing out of his pocket to stand behind the large man's legs. He wanted to be sure that the brunette was going to be dealt with fairly, but not too harshly.

"Well, Bonnie? Have anything to say for yourself?"

"Sir, I didn't mean to cause trouble. It's just that, well, I heard the stories about Ron, but I couldn't believe it. He's a bumbling idiot..." The girl stopped talking when she saw the look on his face. She looked at the floor, ashamed of herself. Rufus looked up into her eyes, and saw something else there as well. She was jealous! Somehow, she had seen past his friend's clumsy nature to what was really there, and she wanted that. She hated Kim for taking something she craved so for granted. He thought about that one as he chased down his two best friends in the hall.

Rufus had caught up with Ron and gotten back into his pocket, just as the bell rang for third period. Algebra. Well, so much for sleep. He was going to have to take notes again, since this was a hard subject. He might not be able to give Ron the answers, but he could at least make sure that he understood the basic ideas of the lesson. With all of the time missed because of the mission, there was sure to be lot of homework to catch up on. That was the agreement.

After a long nap during civics class, Rufus was more than ready to get going. The aborted lunch had left him more than a little hungry, and this was Friday. That meant Bueno Nacho! An added bonus was that the booth at "their place" was where a lot of issues got aired. Possibly, with a little time alone, Ron and Kim could come to an arrangement of sorts regarding their relationship. The events in Go City surely must have been enough of a demonstration to her of what Ron felt for her. Why couldn't she have been awake to see him in action as he had?

Unfortunately, time alone was not to be. Monique joined them only moments after the pair had sat down with their meals. She and Kim chatted at warp speed, mostly rumors about what Barkin might have done to Bonnie. Both girls made a point of helping Ron out, but he wasn't enjoying his snack as much as normal. Rufus gave up hope of anything serious being discussed that afternoon.

It was beginning to become clear to everyone that Ron's arm was aching again. Monique insisted on carrying his backpack for him, telling him how proud she was of how he had protected Kim. She glanced over at the red head on his other side, and remarked how lucky she was to have a guy willing to put his life on the line for her. She was still looking at her friend when Rufus popped his head out of his pocket/nest. The dark girl knew, no doubt about that, she understood that the two heroes were made for each other. It was good to have an ally in the campaign to get them together. He must do something nice for her at the first opportunity.

Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable were both in the living room when the girls dropped Ron off. Eugene helped his son take off his coat while Jean thanked the girls for seeing him home. Both of them declined the offer to stay and visit. Kim had homework to catch up with, the same as Ron, and Monique had drawn a late shift at Club Banana.

"I guess Ron Night is off this week." Kim cast sad eyes on her friend. "I had planned to go to the arcade and play Monster Mayhem with you." She might not like video games, but she did try to do things that he enjoyed once in a while. After all, Ron had gone shopping with her to pick out a couple of new dresses, including a beautiful blue dress for a special occasion. His jaw had hit the floor when she came out of the changing room in that one.

"It's okay, KP. I don't think either of us is really up to it this week." Darn, a busted arm, three nights worth of homework and now, no Ron Night. This just was not his week.

As the girls said their goodbyes, Rufus climbed up on Mr. Stoppable's knee. He chattered and squeaked at him, miming the suggestion that Ron should take his medication and have something to eat. At least these two adult humans could understand him a little. The man nodded to the mole rat, and carried him over to his son. "Time for a painkiller and a proper meal, son. For both of my young men." Rufus was transferred to Ron's shoulder and they all went in to eat. Mrs. Stoppable insisted that her boy needed to be stuffed with good food is he was going to heal.

After supper, Ron sat at his desk, thinking dark thoughts to himself. Both of his parents had asked him why he kept going on these missions, that he was going to be seriously hurt one of these days. All he could say was that he'd rather be hurt than see Kim dead, or worse, at some villain's hand. Both of them had just looked at each other and nodded. From his seat, Rufus had seen the small smile they had shared. Was that the answer they had been looking for? They had quickly dropped the matter, treating it as settled.

Finally, the boy opened up his algebra book, determined to get this out of the way before the night was out. With his hand out of commission, the mole rat took dictation, occasionally guiding him along the way. Just like on missions, the two were a team, helping each other out.

While Ron soaked in a hot tub of water, Rufus scrubbed at his back with a long handled brush. In return, he was given a nice cleaning with a soft cloth. A case of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." Once dry, they got into their beds. Mrs. Stoppable came into the room and found both sound asleep. She kissed both soundly, checking for fevers, and turned out the light.


	6. Saturday

I wanted to keep this story as close to canon as possible, but I have written myself into a bit of a corner. Over the course of the week, Ron has gotten awful close to telling Kim how he really feels about her. The junior prom is still months off. How do I keep them from getting together, given what follows? Why can't these kids just do what you want them to?

As Rabbi Katz says, some souls are destined to be together. Maybe destiny trumps writing.

My thanks to all who have contributed to this story line. Cajunbear73, CaptainKodak1, Ltaozfan and my faithful beta reader, Rondo.

Credit again to Disney.

* * *

**SATURDAY**

Saturday morning dawned gray and cold, but without the bite of the previous day. Getting out of bed was tough for Rufus. He had been so looking forward to a wonderful Ron-cooked breakfast. With his arm in a cast, that was obviously out of the question. Rolling onto his side, Rufus was surprised to see that the bed was empty, the covers tossed to the foot and the pillows thrown about haphazardly. A glance in the bathroom failed to show any trace of the boy.

He climbed over the piles of laundry and the minefield of discarded books that characterized the room he shared with Ron. It was time to get him to clean up a little, or risk getting picked up with the clothes and dumped into the washer on Monday. On the other hand, nothing was quite so comfortable as a nap in one of the discarded shirts. Besides, there seemed to be a system in the chaos, as he had seen Ron reach blindly and find what he was looking for. What Rufus did through organization in the backpacks, the teen did instinctively in their room.

Rufus poked his nose into the upstairs hall of the Stoppable house. It was still early, so it wasn't unusual that things were so quiet. The door to the master bedroom was still closed, so the adult humans of the family were still asleep. Bypassing the other rooms on that floor, he scampered down the stairs. There was no sound from the front room, so Ron was presumably in the kitchen, from which the aroma of coffee was just beginning to become noticeable. There he was at the table, his left hand cradling a hot mug. Rufus climbed onto the table and saw a thoughtful look on the freckled face.

"Hi buddy.", Ron said in a distracted voice. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Uh-uh!" It had been odd not to find his friend in his bed. Given his exhaustion the previous night, he should have slept longer than the mole rat. "Arm hurt?"

"No, I've just been thinking. You remember what Kim's mom asked me a couple of days ago?" Rufus just nodded. It seemed to help humans to talk things through with him, somebody who couldn't really talk back, but gave every sign that he understood and cared. "I've been trying to answer that question ever since we got back from Go City. When I thought that Mom and Dad were going to keep me from going on missions, I panicked. No more watching Kim do what she does. And if something happened..."

That was a horrifying thought. Without Ron to help her, Kim was in danger. As much from herself as the villains and natural disasters that she faced. Ever since the first mission, Rufus had seen that a lot of the confidence the girl possessed came from Ron's encouragement. He also forced her to slow down and think things through. They were two sides of the same coin. Their differences meshed, making them stronger together than they could ever be apart.

"I need advice, Rufus. I don't think I can talk to Mom and Dad about this one, yet." Ron looked up at the clock. "We are going to talk to an old friend. As soon as he's finished his work."

People slowly filed out of the Synagogue after the service. The Stoppables were pretty regular in their attendance at Temple, even if they weren't the most observant members of their faith. Rufus had great respect for the role of religion in human life. Whereas his kind did not worship in the traditional sense, mole rats (and most other creatures) had an innate sense of divinity. Speaking with the Divine Creator brought peace to humans. From a pocket of Ron's best jacket, he had always listened to the prayers and readings.

Moving against the current of people, the two made their way to the office at one side of the meeting hall. A small, thin, balding man was just opening the door, his prayer shawl folded neatly over his arm. Rabbi Katz paused when the young man approached him.

"Shabbat Shalom, Ronald. Is there something I can do for you?" This man was a good friend to Rufus. He was both kind and wise, everything a teacher and spiritual leader should be. If Ron was upset and couldn't talk to his parents, this office door had always been open. "I have a little time before Mrs. Katz expects me home."

"Um, I need to discuss a personal matter with, somebody." Ron almost knocked himself on the back of the head with his cast. He reached up with his left hand and rubbed the back of his neck. The little pink guy hanging out of the pocket recognized this as his 'something to say but nervous about it' gesture. "It's a relationship thing."

"Ah, I see." The Rabbi ushered his young friend into the office and settled himself behind his desk. "I imagine this has something to do with a certain red haired heroine?" A twinkle came to his eye. Ever since the events in Las Vegas, when the boy had been trying to prove his manhood, he had been watching the pair. She might not be Jewish, but she was a fine girl, the sort any young man would be proud to have on his arm.

"Is it that obvious, sir?"

Rufus rolled his eyes and crawled back down into his pocket. How was it that humans couldn't seem to see what was right in plain sight? Maybe and objective point of view would help. Human communities might be more loosely associated than those of animals, yet there was still help to be had when it was needed.

"Ronald, I have known you since coming to Middleton. In seventeen years, you have been hard to miss, and then impossible, if you will pardon the phrase, when you started working with Kimberly." There was a spark behind the lenses of the Rabbi's glasses. "Some of your faith community are a little disappointed that you miss services here to go on missions, but when you go, you are serving in a way that the rest of us cannot. You are not to be faulted. Nor can you be faulted your feelings for Kimberly. Some souls are destined to be together, and this is your lot, I suspect. It is your decision."

"But we have been friends for thirteen years. I don't want to risk destroying that, not without knowing how she feels. I could handle rejection. I've been there, done that. If she decided that she couldn't be my friend anymore... No, I can't face that." Ron picked at the cast on his hand.

Rufus, deep in his nest, knew this argument all too well. His friend wrestled with both sides, neither one ever coming out ahead. It had all been laid bare by the woman with the red hair, in that conversation three days ago. Now Ron was fighting the battle again, and had come here seeking counsel.

"You can put off the question, Ronald, but you risk as much by silence as by truth. Remember your lessons as a child, truth in all things, spoken and unspoken."

As he stepped outside, the boy reached up and removed his yarmulke and stuffed it into a coat pocket. The discussion within had left him with much to think about, but not really any closer to a decision. It was a fairly short walk back to the Stoppable house, and he stopped briefly before the Possible residence, looking at the windows above the garage. Sensing the pause, Rufus peeped out and tugged at the sleeve. Go in and talk to her, he thought. She's your best friend in the world. His whiskers drooped when they turned away and continued down the block.

Up in their bedroom, he watched as Ron stripped out of his suit (needing a little help with the right sleeve) and got into his usual outfit. There was a pause as Ron stared off into space and rubbed at the back of his neck. He picked up the phone and pressed the first button on the speed dial.

"Uh, hi KP, are you busy?" A short pause and a tiny whisper came from the phone. "Yeah, I'm okay, I was just thinking that maybe we could grab a late lunch at Bueno Nacho. See you in ten minutes then? Okay." Rufus looked at his friend and rubbed his belly. Ron put out a hand and he stood on it, climbing over and into the fresh pocket. Suit jacket pockets just weren't as comfortable as the ones in cargo pants, which had the nice flaps that kept out stray breezes.

Both of the Doctors Possible made a big fuss over Ron and his broken arm. Even the twins were in awe of what he had done for their sister. Anne just kept looking at the cast, thinking about what Kim had told her, though the girl hadn't seen the blow for herself. Peeking out of his hiding place, Rufus saw Ron blush and look at his shoes rather than look into the woman's eyes. Why was he so embarrassed? He'd done what he had promised and kept Kim safe. He should have been proud of the actions taken in that den of thieves two days ago. So the woman knew how Ron felt, wasn't that for the best? A mother would be quick to see that anyway.

At this point, Kim bounced down the stairs. She grabbed a coat from the rack by the door and stepped into a pair of tall black boots. She kissed her parents goodbye and promised to be back by supper. Then she grabbed her friend by his good arm and practically dragged him out of the house.

"What was with the red face in there, Ron?" She looked at the cheeks now, and the color was much more the shade she was used to seeing. "I thought you couldn't be embarrassed. You know, multiple pants drop and all that." She slugged him playfully on the shoulder.

"It's nothing, KP. Your folks were just making a big deal about the cast is all. Your mom works at a hospital, you'd think she'd be used to seeing a little thing like this."

"It's not a little thing, Ron! You really stepped up to the plate the other day. Mom and Dad think of you as family. They don't know whether to be proud of you or yell at you for getting hurt." Emerald eyes met brown ones, and both teens stopped walking. "I'm proud of you, Ron. No matter what the sitch, my best friend is there to watch my back. I don't know what I'd do without you." She took his arm in hers and rested her head on his shoulder for a while as they continued to walk.

Deep in his furry liner, Rufus took note of all this, and gave a little smile. She understood! After more than three years of Ron following her into everything the world could throw at them, she recognized that she did need him, wasn't complete when he wasn't at her side. Okay, she hadn't admitted to what she felt about him, but at least now she knew just how much was on the line. All that was needed now was a push. When the moment came, she would realize that the loyalty of friendship had been replaced with the devotion of real love.

The naked mole rat curled up into a ball and thought of a life with his two best friends and family. Even a Bueno Nacho meal would be special when shared with two people who know their relationship for what it truly was.

The flip side of that idea, though, was that Ron and Kim would need time without him. Two was company, three was a crowd. Then again, Everlot had not seen too much of the Tunnel Lord lately. Perhaps a little free time outside of the pocket wasn't such a bad thing.

The teens spent the whole of the afternoon together, just sitting in companionable small talk through the meal. Rufus picked off of both trays, as was usual. He kept looking from one to the other, hoping that maybe they would talk about their future together, but it never happened. It was clear that both of them were definitely feeling a change though. There was a lot less awkwardness in their gestures to each other. Brushing hands didn't cause them to pull back, though they would blush once in a while. It was going to take time, feelings couldn't be rushed.

After a good meal, enjoyed for a change, instead of wolfed down in the middle of a mission, the threesome left the restaurant and headed for the mall. Kim had gotten her allowance and it was burning a hole in her pocket. She had noticed that Ron was having a little trouble getting his usual shirts over the plaster around his arm, and insisted on buying him a new shirt, with loose sleeves. While he could always find just the right outfit for her and Monique, the boy was clueless when it came to his own style. She and Rufus went through all of the racks in the men's section of Club Banana, she would hold one shirt up to Ron's neck while Rufus stood back, and either nodded or shook his head. Then it was back to the piles and clothing would go flying as the duo rejected this shirt or that.

Ron was feeling much better by the time he got home that night, though his arm was aching a little. He put on the shirt that Kim and Rufus had picked out for him, a loose, crew neck number in blue. Rufus personally thought that it was the nicest thing the boy had, right next to the black tuxedo he had been given by Janitor Joe, the Canadian spy who had mentored him some time back. It seemed to fit his "Ron-ness" perfectly. Put it together with the brown cargo pants and his messy hair, and it was just him. Rufus could pull the hem down over the top of his favorite pocket, making things nice and snug.

That night, both boy and mole rat settled into bed and relaxed. No mission to worry about, a friendship fully planted and growing into something even bigger. It had been a pretty good day.


	7. Sunday

At long last, Sunday has arrived for Rufus. Sorry for the delay. I've been swamped with appointments.

As usual, Disney owns the characters, I own the rest. Feel free to "borrow".

Thomas

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**SUNDAY**

Rufus slowly opened his eyes and stretched his little arms over his head. He scratched the back of his neck a couple of times, realizing who he resembled in the gesture. His eyes turned to the young man sleeping in the larger bed. The youthful face seemed peaceful enough, neither pale nor troubled. It seemed like ages since Rufus had seen stillness on Ron Stoppable's face. He smiled down on his friend for a while, and then hopped down to the floor.

While the house was quiet, this was a good time to do a few things for himself. Ron was very good about seeing to his small needs, but all creatures like the feeling of independence. Rufus had not been kept in a cage like most rodents since being purchased at Smarty Mart. His dignity was respected. The tubes of a standard pet habitat went around the room to satisfy the urge to run tunnels. There were multiple exits. He could come and go as he pleased.

First on the agenda was a nice hot bubble bath.

As the bubbles sloshed around in the sink, Rufus lathered himself up with a sliver from the bar of soap. When one has so much exposed skin, cleanliness isn't just next to godliness. It's good health practice. The heat soaked into the soft, pink body, helping the rodent deal with dry winter air. Sometimes the wisdom of taking an East African animal from its natural habitat was questionable. Considering the life that he had gained from it, Rufus thought it worth minor annoyances. Besides, snow could be a lot of fun!

Reaching for a tiny towel, Rufus dried himself off completely. He wrapped the towel around his waist and examined himself in the mirrior. Yep, squeaky clean. His toothbrush lay over the lip of the sink. With a kick to the handle, it flipped up and into the waiting hand. "Perfect.", he thought to himself. "Every time!"

Finished with his morning routine, Rufus padded into the bedroom. Ron was still sound asleep.

Quickly, he pulled the liner from the pocket of Ron's pants. Time to do a little house keeping, after a fashion. As clean a person as Rufus was, sand and lint did build up over time. If left there, it made for very uncomfortable naps. To clean it out, he turned his nest inside out and draped it over the stretcher dowel of a chair. Picking up a discarded ruler, he spit on each hand and wound up like a baseball player. He then proceeded to beat heck out of the fun fur.

After that kind of effort, it was definitely time for breakfast. Rufus debated waking Ron, but simply didn't have the heart. Let sleeping humans lie, he figured.

The bedroom door opened without a sound. The mole rat stole down the hall, needlessly trying to be silent. At all of ten ounces, he could have jumped and stomped without danger of waking anyone. Common courtesy demanded that he make the effort though.

The kitchen had once posed problems for Rufus, be he had learned to adapt. It helped that the Stoppables were not averse to thin ropes hanging from the fridge and key cupboards. He was able to fend for himself without leaving a mess. Climbing to the counter top, he hit the switch on the coffee maker. When it had begun to brew, he opened one of the cabinet doors and surveyed his cereal options. The sugary brands weren't particularly appealing that day, so he pulled out the wheat squares. With the cereal on the table, Rufus went to the fridge, and used a strong metal spatula to pry open the door. A small carton of milk awaited him on a bottom shelf.

Just as he was finishing his breakfast, the rest of the family began to make appearances. Jean and Eugene came into the room as the coffee finished dripping into the pot. Two large mugs and one tiny one appeared on the table. The hot liquid helped to rouse Ron, who mumbled a quick greeting. Another mug was at his hand, the steam rising to his grateful nose.

Rufus left his empty bowl. "Sleep good?", he asked his human. It had certainly seemed so back in the bedroom. Still, it seemed to be a good idea to enquire.

"Fine, little buddy. I didn't realize just how tired I was."

"Do you have plans for the day, son?" Eugene raised his cup to his lips. Instinctively, his eyes looked in the direction of the Possible house. Whatever was in the works, it would involve the young woman down the street. At one time, he and his wife had been worried about the amount of time Ron spent with Kim. Over the years, she had become family.

"Not really. I was just going to ask Kim to go over my algebra with me. We have a test coming up, and I want to bring up my grade."

Rufus was so proud of his human. In the last few months, he'd begun putting more effort into school. With missions and his Maddog responsibilities, it took a lot of work. He was desperate to make it to any school his best friend might apply to. Ron Stoppable may have been labelled as lazy, but with the right motivation, Rufus believed he was every bit as capable as Kim. Indeed, the cast on his arm ( and the injuries inflicted on the bad guys) proved it.

A couple of hours later found him lying in a pile of cuddle buddies, listening as Kim Possible exercised her patience. The teens were staring at the papers in front of them. It looked, from where he sat, as if she were ready to run out of the room and tear her hair out. Ron was doing his best, but progress was slow.

Four familiar beeps sounded from the bedside table. Saved by the bell!

"What's the sitch, Wade?"

The screen lit up with an image of the techno-guru of Team Possible. "We've gotten a fresh hit on the site. There's a young girl missing from a lodge in the Aspen Area. They have called in every resource available, and you were requested." There was the rumble of chopper blades. "That would be your ride."

Rufus hopped to the foot of Kim's bed and pointed at the cast on his friend's arm. "Un-un!", he squealed and shook his little head. There was no way Ron could go traipsing around in the mountains. It would be irresponsible to let him try, as much as he might want to help.

"He's right, Ron. You're sitting this one out."

"Okay, KP, but I'm going to the base camp with you. All of those volunteers and rangers will need to be fed and warmed up." They grabbed their coats on the way out of the door. "If I can't have your back, I can still be a support." That satisfied Rufus sense of reasonableness. The boy would be safe from any harm, but would still be contributing as he always did.

When the helicopter landed, Rufus was pulled from his usual pocket, furry liner and all. When he looked out, he found himself in Kim's backpack. Ron was poking around at the gear and rations. It looked like he was checking the contents. That was a job the mole rat always did. The side lined half of Team Possible was looking worried.

"You're going in my place, Rufus. Somebody has to have Kim's back out there. If it isn't me, it had better be somebody I could trust with her life." The brown eyes shifted, checking to see if he was being observed. "Try to keep a low profile though. Kim would be majorly tweaked if she knew I was fussing like this."

Rufus snapped to attention and saluted. Turning around, he wriggled back down into his pocket, which was arranged so that he could climb out quickly and quietly. Stay out of sight, but watch out for Kim. Got it! This was the kind of mission mole rats were born for. "I'll be there to keep her in one piece.", he thought to himself. "You need each other. More than you realize."

From the darkness of the pack, Rufus listened carefully to the briefing. This was serious business, and it paid to have all of the information that was available. It was late, and getting cold out. It seemed that little Amy Rice had wandered from an Aspen area timeshare that she and her parent's were staying in. She had taken only a light coat and hat.

Surveying the gear available, a bundle of heat packs was shoved to the top. Flares would be needed, along with a flashlight. If he knew Kim, she would not stop until Amy was in the hands of the Red Cross doctors setting up camp in a park services garage. When a picture was circulated, the little rodent poked his head out just enough to see over Kim's shoulder. He saw a little blonde girl, about eight years old, with freckles and emerald green eyes.

The search began at the resort condo, and spread out from there. At first, there were many voices calling Amy's name. Over time, the numbers dwindled, and some of the volunteers had to turn back. To cover more ground, the remaining searchers spread out. It was taking too much time! In his pocket liner, Rufus shivered.

Suddenly there was a pause in the motion, as Kim listened. A small voice was calling back! Somehow, it was coming from a downward direction. Sticking his head out of the backpack, he saw a ravine to their right. Kim was leaning over the edge.

"Amy, are you okay?" She reached into the pack, groping around. With a little shove from below, the flashlight was in her hand. She flicked it on and played the beam over the rim. The light shone on the tumbled blonde hair of the missing girl.

"I'm okay, but I can't climb out."

"Wait there, I'm coming down." She grabbed the radio from her belt and called in the location. The voice at the other end told her to keep the child warm, and they would be their within the hour.

As Kim was climbing down, she grabbed hold of a rock. It suddenly pulled away from the ravine wall. In the pack, Rufus was bounced around along with the rest of the contents. When they finally came to rest, he found himself atop the collapsed girl. She wasn't moving!

He pulled himself from the pack and found himself face to face with Amy. When she saw him, she gave a little shriek. He ignored it for a moment and examined his red headed friend. she had hit her head on a stump at the bottom of the wall, and was out cold. A small knot was quickly growing over her right eye. Still, she was breathing okay.

Amy gave up her fear when she saw how he was treating Kim. She came over and helped Rufus pull her up into a sitting position against a tree.

"Is she going to be okay?"

He nodded to the child, though he wasn't exactly sure himself. It was likely that she had a concussion. At the very least, she was going to be out for a good long while. Help had to get there fast. Looking around, Rufus located the flashlight and radio. Neither was going to be working any time soon.

"They can't find us down here.", he thought to himself. "Not without a signal to guide them." It was time to make sure they were going to survive to be found. The first order of business was keeping Amy and Kim warm. Reaching into the pack, he pulled out the tightly folded thermal blanket, and motioned for Amy to sit close to Kim. With shared body heat and the heat packs, they should be warm enough. He gave the girl a couple of granola bars and then settled in to wait for help to arrive.

The night seemed to stretch on forever. Without the flashlight to guide them, the rescue team would have to search up and down the ravine. Rufus shivered and got under a corner of the blanket. "I can't go to sleep.", he repeated to himself. He had to watch the girls. Somebody had to listen for the rangers. Every few minutes he checked on Kim, and listened to the sound of her breathing.

At one point, he was sure that the heroine was trying to say something. "Ron.", she mumbled. "Ron, where are you? I need you." The tired rodent stared into the pale face for a while. He would get her through this. If it could be done, the first face Kim Possible saw would be that of the young man who had been her best friend for so long.

Hour followed hour. Just when it seemed that it couldn't get any colder out, there was a noise in the darkness. "...im! Amy! Kim! Amy! Answer us!" The voices were coming towards them along the edge of the ravine. At last, help was close by.

Rufus scrambled up over the blanket and batted at the younger girl. She slowly woke and tried to focus on him in the dark. She gave him a startled look when he pressed the flare gun into her hand. Hearing the voices, she raised the gun over her head and pulled the trigger. A bright red signal flew into the night sky. When he was sure that the rescue team had a fix on their location, he crawled back into the backpack.

Kim and Amy were both rushed to the base camp on stokes stretchers. The medical team broke into two teams, one for each girl. Kim was immediately put into an air ambulance and rushed to a hospital. Amy was given a thorough exam before being reunited with her parents. She was being taken to a waiting ambulance when she saw a blond man in a cast picking up the backpack with the strange pink animal.

As she was opening her mouth to say something, Rufus popped out and looked at her. Amy saw him and smiled when he shook his head, putting a finger to his lips. She never told a soul about the "little pink thing" that had saved her. As the group passed him by, he winked at her. Then Rufus curled up in Ron Stoppable's arms and fell into a deep, and well deserved, sleep.


	8. Early Monday Morning

I want to thank all of the people who have taken the time to read this story. When I started out with Fan Fiction, I hoped that the material produced would meet with approval. The bar was set pretty high by the work that I had read. I hope that I have met the challenge.

This chapter should be the last for this story. We have been granted a look at the world from Rufus' point of view. I could have left it where it was, but think that one more short visit is in order.

The usual disclaimers apply. Disney owns what it owns, the rest is from my imagination.

* * *

**EARLY MONDAY MORNING**

The first sensation was sound. From somewhere came a steady beeping. Muted voices spoke in the background, hushed so that they would not intrude. Occasionally, footsteps would go by, or pause near where he was sleeping. Then there was the familiar sound of mumbling and snoring, somewhere beyond his head. Next came the warmth. He was lying on a firm bed, snuggled into warm blankets.

The material was bunched up around him.

The last thing Rufus remembered was falling asleep in Ron's arms back at the base camp in Aspen. Amy Rice had been reunited with her anxious parents, and he had done his best for Kim.

Kim!

Little eyes snapped open. Rufus took in the sight of a hospital room. The beeping he had woken up to was the monitor at the head of the bed. It sounded the beating of a young woman's heart. The voices were the doctors and nurses, going about their tasks in the emergency ward. Every now and then, one would poke his or her head in the door, looking in on the patient. From the bed at her left hand, issued the familiar noises. Ron was slumped over in a chair that had been pulled up next to her. Even with eyes closed, he seemed to be looking at his friend, waiting for her to wake.

Anne Possible stepped into the room. She was dressed in scrubs, and had a tired look about her. When she looked at the two teens, a smile crept over her face. Gliding silently across the tiled floor, she went to the side of the bed and brushed the hair back from her sleeping daughter's face.

Rufus stood up and walked on all fours up to Kim's right hand. He pulled on the hem of Anne's shirt, to get her attention. When she looked down, he pointed to Kim and squeaked very softly. He reached down and held her little finger in his tiny hand. Every gesture showed the concern he felt for the girl.

"She'll be fine, Rufus. She doesn't have a concussion, just a doozy of a bump on the head." The mole rat breathed a sigh of relief. The knot he had seen had worried him the whole time he was waiting at the bottom of that ravine. Had she been awake, he would not have let her move or go to sleep. "I am a little worried about Ronald. He should be resting someplace and letting his arm heal. He refuses to leave until Kimmie is awake."

"How very like him.", Rufus thought to himself. The young man might not be ready to speak about his feelings with Kim, but it was plain to anyone with eyes to see it.

If Mrs. Doctor Possible was here in scrubs, and Kim weren't in any danger, they must have been brought back to Middleton. He had no memory of the trip. The adventures of the previous night had tired the little hero out completely. While he might have helped out on missions, it usually involved pushing destruct buttons or chewing through ropes. Last night was the first time he had ever been in charge of a situation. He had done his best, and it had been enough.

Anne stood with her daughter for a while, and then pulled a spare blanket from a cabinet. She draped it over Ron's shoulders, giving him a slight pat in the process. "You'd best sit over on this side of Kimmie, Rufus. Some of the staff might not like the site of a mole rat in a sterile environment." He looked at her with his mouth open for a second. "I know, but not everyone understands. Besides, that way you can keep an eye on both of them, or maybe curl up under the covers again and sleep some more. You looked exhausted when you came in with Ron." She helped him to climb over the sleeping figure on the bed, and gave him a little pat, just like the one she had given Ron.

As quietly as she had come, Anne Possible was gone.

Rufus did not go back to sleep, but kept another vigil, this time over both of the humans that made up his family. Once in a while, staff would come into the room, but none took any notice of him.

Almost an hour after her mother's visit, Kim slowly woke up. She reached up and gingerly touched the swollen lump on her head. She winced when her fingers made contact with the tender spot. She was taking in her surroundings and suddenly sat upright.

"Amy, what happened to Amy?" Rufus scrambled to her lap and chattered at her. He made an "okay" gesture with his tiny little fingers. She calmed almost instantly, trusting that her little friend would never lie to her about something so important. He then pushed her back on the bed, and hopped on the button that raised the head, so that she was sitting up. "Thanks, Rufus. We can always count on you."

"How little she knows.", he thought back.

Kim heard the sound of Ron snoring at her hand and looked down. A fond smile played over her lips, and she reached out and patted the blond head without thinking. It seemed that, in her subconscious, she was aware of something between them.

"He looks so tired. You didn't let him overdo it at the base camp, did you?" She continued to stroke his hair. "He should be home in bed, not wasting his time waiting on me to wake up." On that thought, she drifted back to sleep again.

Rufus watched his friends through the long morning. People came and went. Principle Barkin had taken time away from whichever class he had been substitute teaching to bring the day's workload for the teens. He paid no attention to the naked mole rat half hidden by Ron's arm. Ron's parents came, smuggling a little cheese to Rufus past the nurses. They debated taking their son home, and decided to leave him. He would just come back the moment he woke up anyway.

In the afternoon, both Kim and Ron woke up. Kim was discharged from the hospital, and Ron escorted her to her home. Rufus curled up in his pocket and reflected on the last week. It had certainly been busy, and he thought that things were progressing quite well with his humans. By spring, they should be ready to talk about their future together. With the occasional prod from the ever present rodent in the pocket.


End file.
